EXCLUSIVE | 'Metro..In Dino' actor Konkona Sen: ‘There is motherhood penalty & fatherhood premium, having children is getting difficult...'’

Konkona Sen Sharma and Pankaj Tripathi play a middle-aged couple in Anurag Basu’s directorial soon to be released ‘Metro..In Dino’. She says that the film shows how after 10 to12 years of marriage, when you have your kids, you have your EMIs, you have your school fees, your jobs and then somewhere the tragedy of domesticity kind of surrounds you.

Talking about work-life balance, Konkona says that in today’s day and age, there is a certain motherhood penalty in all industries, not just the entertainment industry. “It’s called the fatherhood premium and the motherhood penalty.”

Edited excerpts from the interview:

How was this whole experience working with Pankaj Tripathi? A little bit of preparation is required for all roles. But I think it must have been very effortless working with Anurag Basu?

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I think working with Anurag is effortless only. And I would say that most of his actors would probably feel like this, at least on this film. Anurag has a very easy-going kind of a quality. He’s a lovely human being. His sets are often quite stress-free and it’s easy to work with him. His energy and vibe is so easy and relaxed that I think that the whole set is like that. So that’s actually lovely because I really feel that that’s a great way to bring out the best in everyone.

So, how different is the environment?
Film sets are often stressful, chaotic and crowded. So, it’s lovely to have that kind of an environment which is stress free and Anurag Basu offers you that. I’ve played many different kinds of parts and some of them are easier than others. Because it depends a little bit on how removed the character is from your daily life. In the sense that your character that you’re playing is very different from you economically, socially, culturally speaking. Then you have to do a certain amount of prep and rigor does go into it. But if you’re playing somebody who’s closer to you in that sense, then maybe not as much.

But do you relate to the character that you’re playing? What is it like?
I do relate to it. I actually find it a very interesting genre. The movie shows the relationship between Pankaj Tripathi and I.

Is it a middle-aged relationship? 

Yes, it is. And why I find it interesting is because very often when we could see ourselves in the characters that we played. Anurag seems to be exploring the theme of love through four different relationships at four different stages of life. So most of the time what happens is that we, in our films, once the protagonists kind of meet and realise that they love each other and they come together, the film is over. You know, we don’t really explore further.

So what I like in this very much is that this is a couple who, I mean, we have a good marriage, everything is fine. But I think let’s say after 10-12 years of marriage, when you have your kids, you have your EMIs, you have your school fees, your jobs and all that, then I think there’s a domesticity that surrounds you.

I think this is a challenge that many couples face. Especially so many of us are in long-term relationships or are in long-term marriages, you know. And then after 10, 12 years, that initial spark and that romance or whatever, that spark is gone. Or at least it changes. So that is something that many I think couples grapple with, that issue. And I feel like Anurag has really handled that sensitively with a lot of humour. This I think many couples will relate to.

What do you have to say about work-life balance in the entertainment industry or any industry for that matter?

I genuinely want to say that in today’s day and age, there is a certain motherhood penalty in any industry which happens. It’s called the fatherhood premium and the motherhood penalty. Because what happens is that fathers, as they have children and they become more and more senior, they earn more and more. But for women with every child, there is a financial setback because you’re not able to kind of participate in the way society expects you to or for that matter what the office work demands.

Now what’s going to happen ultimately is that women are not incentivized to have children at all because it’s becoming more and more difficult. You know, to participate in the work life, and to be a good mother at the same time is becoming more and more difficult. So, I feel that this is something that eventually the governments will have to kind of change policies for working mothers. Otherwise it’s not going to happen.

On working with Pankaj Tripathi…
Pankaj himself is such a good actor that he really gets the fine nuances of the character and relationships. Plus, he’s married to Bengali himself. So, I feel like he really has an insight into this kind of a character, this kind of a relationship the role asked for.

What do you think to be one of the biggest hindrances of couples who are in this age that you’re playing when it comes to love with so many responsibilities on your plate? And what does love mean to you?

I think many people confuse stability and peace for being boring. Many people are addicted to the drama. So initially when you have a certain kind of a stable connection, then it seems boring sometimes. That’s one thing. And the second thing is really this, what you’re saying is right, that when you have so many responsibilities and duties, sometimes you have aging parents or you have children, you have pets, you have houses to run, you have jobs to look after. It’s very, very taxing. It’s very challenging actually. So, then you’re not really focused on love and romance as much. It’s just kind of a partnership which has its own strengths. But it may be seen as boring to many.

But how do you tackle this in a relationship? Does the film have any answer?

I think it’s just kind of a slice of life showing what happens to a couple who are in this stage of life. I think there isn’t any solution. I mean, couples will have to find their own solution. This I think is more to kind of a film that shows that you’re not alone, that many couples face this problem and it’s a common thing. And it’s just something to relate to.

What are your expectations from this particular movie? Because it’s releasing theatrically considering that Bollywood movies are not doing too well.

I feel like my expectations were just to have a great time shooting with Anurag. That was my main expectation. Now, how the film will do at the box-office is not in our control now. What do audiences like, not like, how would you do? I mean, all this, we don’t really have control over. So, my own wishes were fulfilled. I wanted to work with Dada (Anurag Basu) again. I got a lovely opportunity with this.

What’s next?

My mother’s done _The Rapist_ . We’re hoping that we will be a little bit about that. This is a very interesting and very relevant film actually. It has won many awards, especially the top award at the Busan Film Festival a couple of years back. I think it’s the fifth or sixth collaboration with my mother. So, we’re hoping that it will be released later this year. And besides that, there is a film with Fatima which is a kind of a relationship drama. And there’s also a web series, a TV show called The Killing for Hotstar. And there’s also Lust Stories 2, which I have done with Vikramaditya Motwane. So, let’s see, these will hopefully come out now this year or next year.